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What to do after a car accident in Germany

Vaidas Labanauskas, 23 years in insurance · reviewed

Stop, secure the scene, help anyone injured and give your details on request — German law requires this, and leaving before your identity is established is a crime. Record the facts with the other driver on the European Accident Statement, and tell your own insurer under your policy.

Your duties under German law

  1. Stop and secure the scene: Stop immediately and secure the traffic; if the damage is minor, move aside straight away.
  2. Help anyone injured: Give the help that is needed and call 112 for emergency medical help.
  3. Identify yourself: Say that you were involved and, on request, give your name and address, show your driving licence and vehicle registration, and give details of your liability insurance.
  4. Wait or leave your details: If nobody is there to receive your details, wait for a reasonable time and leave your name and address at the scene. If you had to leave, report to the person affected or a nearby police station without delay.
  5. Leave the traces: Do not remove traces of the accident before the necessary findings have been made.

Leaving the scene before your identity, your vehicle and your part in the accident have been established is a criminal offence.

Police

Germany’s accident rules (§ 34 StVO) contain no general duty to call the police. Bavarian police advise calling 110 when someone is injured, when the damage is considerable, when alcohol or drugs may be involved, or when people or vehicles from abroad are involved; if one party insists on the police, everyone must wait.

Hazard lights and warning triangle

Switch on your hazard lights and, if your stopped car could be hit, set up a warning triangle well behind it — about 100 metres back on fast roads, the distance that German traffic rules use for stopped vehicles.

Whom to contact in Germany

Whom to contact after a car accident in Germany
You need the insurer of a German-insured vehicleZentralruf der Autoversicherer — the information centre; it finds the insurer from the number plate.
An accident in Germany involves a foreign-registered vehicleDeutsches Büro Grüne Karte — claims are reported here, and it appoints a claims handler for the foreign insurer.
Hit-and-run, or the vehicle was not insuredVerkehrsopferhilfe — the guarantee fund; limits apply.
Every accidentYour own insurer — tell it under your policy’s rules.

If you live in another EU or EEA country and the German driver is liable, you can claim through the German insurer’s representative in your own country: What to do after a car accident abroad in Europe.

Filling in the form

The German version of the form, the Europäischer Unfallbericht, has the same numbered fields as the English one, so you can match the questions by number. In Minsas, each driver can fill in the same statement in their own language. Field by field: How to fill in the European Accident Statement.

FAQ

Match the questions by number: the German and English versions of the form are numbered the same way. In Minsas, each driver can fill in the same statement in their own language. Review every field before signing.

Nobody has to sign, but everyone involved must give their name, address and insurance details on request. Note the refusal in your remarks, keep photos and the registration number, and call the police on 110 if the other driver will not give their details.

Claim from their German insurer; the Zentralruf der Autoversicherer tells you which one. If you live in another EU or EEA country, you can instead claim through that insurer’s claims representative in your own country.

Sources

Guides in German